


Ready

by madamebomb



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: F/M, Making Babies, Pregnancy, Zuki, two dorks in love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-24
Updated: 2016-01-11
Packaged: 2018-05-08 20:48:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5512814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madamebomb/pseuds/madamebomb
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She's so ready to be a mother.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This one is for Jordan. :)

“So,” Suki said softly, as Zuko offered her his arm. She looped her arm around his and together they walked down the wide staircase, where the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribe ambassadors were waiting for their arrival. “My red friend is no longer visiting.”

Zuko, who was adjusting the ebony button on the front of his formal robes, said distractedly, “Your who? What friend?”

“My _red_ _friend_.”

“I didn't know you had a... Wait, red?” he said and glanced at her with a confused look on his face. Suki rolled her eyes a little, her lips twisting.

“I'm off my period, Zuko.”

Her husband's foot slipped on the step going down, his knee buckling a little as he caught himself with one hand on the stair railing. She held him up by the arm looped around hers, making a face as their guests glanced up to see the Fire Lord nearly going ass over teakettle down the stairs.

“Zuko!”

“I'm okay! I just slipped,” he said, turning to her as he stood upright one step below her, which put her at eye-level with him. She stared into his golden eyes, a soft smile on her lips.

“If you break your neck, this dinner is going to be a disaster,” she said gently, reaching out and adjusting the button he'd been fiddling with. Zuko's arm went around her, his hand spreading up the small of her back.

“If I break my neck, can we skip dinner altogether and head back to our room?” he said with a gleam in his eyes. There was a weight in his voice, an eagerness that she felt as well. She leaned forward and kissed his lips quickly, but pulled back when he moved to deepen the kiss.

“That's no way to treat our guests,” she chided him as he spread his hand down to her ass, cupping her through her dress and bringing her forward. Heat sparked in her middle, her body awakening with a hopeful thrill of her nerves. She glanced over his shoulder, her face flaming a little as she saw several people watching them.

“I don't care,” he said, nuzzling her nose with his own. His voice was like velvet as he said softly, “I want you. And I want to try again.”

She caught her breath, fighting the urge to throw her arms around him in front of everyone. “It's just dinner,” she said quellingly. “We can get through dinner.”

Zuko let out a groan and then visibly reigned himself in. “Fine. But afterward...”

She grinned at him and leaned forward, kissing the tip of his nose. “Afterward, I'm yours.”

Zuko returned her grin and then together they walked down the stairs to greet their guests. Everyone was polite enough not to mention seeing them groping each other on the stairs, for which she was grateful. They weren't much on public displays of affection, but sometimes they were so into one another that they threw decorum out of the window. If anyone had a problem with that, she found she didn't care very much.

Dinner was predictable. Politics and gossip, droning small talk and an endless barrage of delicious food. She sat next to Zuko, who put his hand over hers halfway through the first course and squeezed reassuringly. He knew she wasn't much for these dinners, that they overwhelmed her sometimes.

Suki smiled at him, reassuring him that she was okay. His hand lifted away, slipped beneath the table and landed on her knee. He squeezed it, the simple gesture making her heart race in her chest.

He didn't look at her, though she saw the small quirk at the corners of his lips.

Her hand slipped under the table too and she put it over his, pulling his hand upward and into the slit of her dress. Zuko swallowed, the apple of his throat bobbing, eyes widening as she pushed his hand between her thighs under the table. He took in a measured breath, his fingers caressing her inner thighs as they both looked surreptitiously around the table to make sure no one had noticed. Everyone seemed to be busy talking amongst themselves.

Her heart raced as Zuko leaned toward her and put his mouth next to her ear, his breath warm as it whispered across her heated skin. “Enjoying dinner?”

“Mmm-hmm. But I'm eager for dessert.”

“Me too, I know exactly what I want to eat,” he whispered back, rubbing her thigh.

“Why wait?” she said and pulled his hand even further up. The moment Zuko realized she wasn't wearing any panties beneath her dress, he jolted in his seat, his knee slamming into the table with a hard crack that rattled the cutlery. He snatched his hand away, eyes widened as every head at the table turned to him.

“Sorry,” he said haltingly. “Dropped my...knife.”

There was a pause, and then everyone went back to their conversations, leaving Zuko to glance at Suki, who was eating her food with a deliberate daintiness, a little smirk on her lips as she tried not to burst out laughing.

“The chicken is delicious tonight, don't you think, dear?” she said smoothly, as Zuko's nostrils flared.

He leaned toward her again, making sure no one was paying any attention, and whispered in her ear, “You're asking for trouble.”

“You started it,” she whispered back.

“I'll finish it too,” he said darkly, catching her eye. There were promises in his gaze, heat and intensity. That intensity, which never really went away when he looked at her, excited her, inflamed her.

“I can't wait,” she replied, eyebrow arching at him.

Zuko made a soft noise of frustration in the back of his throat and then fisted his hand on the table, his knuckles white with strain.

The rest of dinner passed by far too slowly for Suki. Finally, the last course was cleared away, and they retired to a drawing room for drinks. Suki was surrounded by the women in attendance, all of them complimenting dinner and asking after her. She was only half-listening to the wife of a general, most of her attention on Zuko, who was standing halfway across the room, a drink in his hand and his eyes on her as he nodded along to the ambassador talking animatedly to him about shipping rates for ostrich-horses.

His gaze burned on her and she grinned to herself, picking up the cherry from her drink and slowly putting it in her mouth. She saw Zuko's eyes flash, watching her mouth with rapt intention. When she licked the juice from her lips, it was more than he could stand. He flicked his head toward the door in the smallest of gestures, then politely excused himself from the conversation, leaving a deflated-looking ambassador to stare after him as he walked toward the door and slipped out of the busy room.

Her pulse thrummed in her veins and she snapped her attention back on the woman in front of her, who had been droning on about...something.

“I'm so sorry, could you excuse me?” Suki said with a polite smile.

“Oh, well, I wanted to pick your ear about self-defense lessons for my daughters...”

“Yes, umm...later, perhaps? I just need to powder my nose,” Suki said, as the woman tried to move in front of her. She drew up short, the woman's earnest face inches from hers.

“They're all big fans of...fans. You know, you've started a fad in the Fire Nation, Lady Suki. Every young lady wants to learn to fight with fans. They're all wearing them! Fashion and self-defense, what could be more in-style this year! I was wondering if you could give my daughters private lessons?”

“Oh, um... Sure. I suppose. Contact my assistant and we can work out a schedule that suits us both. Could you please excuse me?” And with that she practically sprinted past the woman and headed straight for the door Zuko had slipped out of.

She was half-afraid the woman would follow her, but when she closed the door to the drawing room behind her it didn't open again. She glanced left and then right, wondering where Zuko had gotten off to.

“Zuko?” she hissed, turning to the left and walking down the corridor, her heels clacking on the marble floors. “Where did you go?”

A hand suddenly shot out at her from an open doorway, making her squeal as it clamped onto her wrist and dragged her into a darkened room. “HEY!”

“Shhhh...” Zuko said as his arms went around her in the dark, pulling her against the length of his warm body. He closed the door behind them, pushing her backward against the door. His mouth covered hers a moment later and she eagerly kissed him back, feeling drunken and out of control.

His hands were all over her, slipping into the slit of her dress, pushing between her legs. She didn't protest, moaning into his mouth as he grazed her clit and then eased his finger inside of her. He pressed into her and she gasped.

“Oh, Zuko...”

“I can't wait... I want you so much...” he mumbled against her neck, scoring her with his teeth as his finger massaged in and out of her. She tilted her hips forward, clutching him, her hands working down the front of his robes.

“Just shut up and fuck me, Zuko.”

He kissed her hard, pushing her back against the door. He withdrew his finger, pushed her skirt aside, and then together they got his pants undone. She shoved them down his hips as he lifted her leg and guided himself into her body with one careful thrust that knocked a gasp out of her. She bit down her lip to keep from crying out, but the sound still echoed in the empty room.

She clutched Zuko's ass as he fucked her against the door, his mouth clamping onto hers to muffle the sound of her pleasure. It didn't quite work, not when he was moving inside of her fast and hard, her body tightening around his with every thrust.

“OH FUCK!”

“Shh....baby... Shh...” Zuko moaned, and kissed her. She bit down on his lip and he growled in his throat, the sound running through her like fire. Her nails dug into his flesh, pulling him that much closer to her. His thrusts shortened, slamming into her with teeth-chattering force.

She loved it.

“Don't stop, don't stop, _don't stop_...” she gasped into his ear. She knew he was close. “Come inside of me!”

That was his tipping point, and she'd known it would be. Zuko groaned and stiffened against her, ramming her back into the door with a hard bang. She felt him cum inside of her with a deep, hard pulse and a soft explosion of wetness. She rocked her pelvis back and forth, clamping tightly around his length, pumping him, taking all of him as his mouth found hers again.

He shivered against her, his hips moving in tiny circles as he came down. Her heart beat in time to his panting between each kiss. He let her mouth go, kissing down to her neck as she smoothed her hands down his hair. She felt exhausted all of a sudden, sweaty beneath her dress.

“I love you,” she mumbled and he immediately claimed her mouth again, kissing her senseless.

When he finally pulled back, he let out a shuddering breath, as if he wanted nothing more than to continue. He gently pulled out of her then, leaving her feeling wet and warm. She lowered her leg to the floor as he stepped back just enough to readjust himself and pull up his drooping pants. She squeezed her quivering thighs together, smoothing down her dress, an adrenaline shake in her limbs.

“We should get back,” she said softly. Zuko let out a groan of annoyance, and she grinned in the dark. “They're going to start wondering where we are.”

“Let them wonder,” he said and moved in, sliding his arms around her waist. He kissed her again, slowly, without hurry or worry. Suki wrapped her hands up in his shirt, lifting herself up on tiptoe as Zuko's fingers dug into her waist, pulling her against him.

She broke the kiss first, turning her head to the side.

“Zuko,” she said softly and he huffed out a sigh, and stepped back. With shaking hands, she opened up the door, and popped her head out into the hallway. It was blessedly empty, for which she was grateful. She had a feeling anyone in the hallway would have heard him fucking her against the door. And she hadn't been exactly quiet about how much she'd been enjoying it.

She tried to smooth down her dress, but it looked rumpled now and she knew that her makeup was more than a little bit smudged. She had a feeling people would know what they'd been doing if they got even a cursory glance at her.

She found that she didn't care very much, not when Zuko led her into the room, kissed her below the ear and then whispered, “I'm not done with you yet.”

Heat flushed down her body in red splotches, and her face flamed. Zuko walked away from her, greeting one of his general's with a hearty handshake. She reeled in place, a deep throb between her watery legs, and the taste of Zuko's mouth still lingering on hers.

The rest of the evening passed by in a blur, but finally their guests departed, leaving them standing together in the drawing room as the last of them filed out.

A servant approached them immediately, asking if they could get them anything. Zuko shook his head. “No thank you. Give our compliments to the chef and tell her that Lady Suki and I will be enjoying breakfast in our rooms in the morning. The usual.”

The servant nodded. “Will you be needing anything else tonight, sire?”

“No, thank you,” Zuko said, slipping his arm around her waist. “We're heading straight to bed.”

The servant glanced at Suki, amusement flickering in his eyes all of a sudden. “Of course, sire. I'll see that you're not disturbed.”

The servant bowed and then walked away, leaving Zuko to turn to her, mischief and longing in his gaze. “Are you ready for bed, my lady?”

“I am feeling a bit tired.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes, you see, my animal of a husband decided to fuck me senseless in the middle of our very important dinner party,” she said airily, walking toward the door. Zuko caught up with her, slipping his arms around her middle and pulling her back against his chest. His mouth landed on her neck as she squealed and squirmed in his arms.

“I didn't hear you complaining,” he said softly. “In fact, I remember you telling me to shut up and fuck you.”

She turned in his arms and slid her arms around his neck, landing a hot, hard kiss to his eager mouth. “Who says I'm complaining now?”

Zuko bent his head, kissing her again, slowly this time, with careful, sensual deliberation. She practically melted against him as he slid one hand into her hair, the other down her side and into the slit of her dress. He cupped her ass, squeezing as he brought her against him. She moaned into his mouth, her tongue slowly flicking against his.

When they broke apart, she was buzzing for air, her body on fire. Zuko panted against her lips, his forehead resting against hers.

“You'd better take me back to our room right now, Zuko.”

Zuko grinned at her and kissed her lips quickly. “Let's do this.”

He took her hand and together they practically ran back to their suite. They passed two servants on the way, who whispered something under their breath at each other, making Zuko frown.

“What are they whispering about?” he asked as they rounded the corner.

“They're betting on when I'm going to get knocked up,” she said. “Ty Lee told me they're running a betting pool.”

“WHAT?” Zuko exclaimed, turning on his heel to march back to the whispering servants. She caught his arm with a laugh, stopping him.

“What are you doing?”

“They can't bet on that! That's... Suki, that's not right.”

“Oh, let them have their fun. They're just excited.”

Zuko turned serious eyes on her. “It doesn't bother you?”

“No, not really. It's not like the whole palace doesn't know we've been trying,” she said, tucking her hair behind her ear. “They're eager for an heir. So am I, to be honest.”

Zuko's anger softened, and he put his arms around her. “I think we got a good start earlier.”

“How about we head back to our room already and try again?” she said and then grinned. “For the sake of the servants. I hear there's a bag of gold going to whomever gets the closest to the announcement date.”

“Well...if it's just for the servants...”

“They work so hard, they deserve it,” she said with a giggle.

Zuko kissed her and then lead her back to their room, nuzzling her neck as she opened the door and pulled him inside. Their suite was lit by candles, the red and yellow light soft and sultry. Zuko turned the lock on the door and turned back to her with an intense expression on his face.

The next thing she knew, she was in his arms, her mouth slanting over his as he picked her up and carried her into the bedroom. He set her down on her feet beside the bed, and pulled away. He cupped her face, caressing her bottom lip with his thumb. His gaze was soft, wanting, turning her knees to water.

“Turn around,” he said gently, and she turned in place to face the bed. Zuko unbuttoned the back of her red dress and then pulled it down her body , peeling it off of her with a deliberate slowness. He loved undressing her though, and took every opportunity to do so. She never minded, not when his mouth followed her clothing. He nibbled on the backs of her shoulders, caressing her hips, her stomach as her dress fell to the floor at her feet. She stepped out of and pushed it aside with her foot, and then put her hands over his on her stomach.

Zuko's mouth trailed along her neck and shoulder, teeth digging in just enough to make her gasp and push herself back into him.

“Stop teasing me.”

“Never.”

His hand moved down the front of her body, slipping between her legs, where everything was wet and warm and aching from their earlier tryst. He pressed two fingers to the engorged bud of her clitoris, rubbing in gentle circles, making pleasure thrill along her nerves. Suki bit down on her lower lip, stuttering out a gasp as Zuko latched onto her neck and sucked on her skin hard enough to raise a bruise in the shape of his mouth. He didn't seem to care though, and neither did she.

She pushed her hips back and forth as the heel of his palm pressed into her pubic bone, holding her tightly against his body as he pushed back the hood of her clit and slowly brought her to the brink.

All she could do was quiver in his arms, her nails digging in to his hand. His other hand tilted her head back and she kissed him, panting as her body tightened, shivers bursting down her skin.

She came with a soft cry, her muscles tightening with a deep, hard clench. Zuko pressed against her, holding her as she came down. He was breathing hard to, his mouth hovering over hers.

His fingers stilled on her clit and then he withdrew. She let out another breath and attempted to turn around to face him, but he stopped her.

“Zuko...”

“Let's get these shoes off...” he said, and then crouched down behind her, his hands running down the backs of her thighs and calves, until he reached the buckles of her shoes. He undid the left, then the right, and then slipped them off of her feet. He put them aside, and trailed his hands back up her legs to her ass. He put pressure on her lower back and shoulder. “Bend over the bed.”

Her pulse jumped as she bent over the bed, putting her weight on her elbows, her ass in the air, feet flat on the floor. She glanced back at him and saw him slowly taking off his clothing. He tossed it aside and then looked at her. Their gazes met and she grinned.

“What are you smiling about?”

“You. You're so serious.”

“Because I seriously want you.”

Suki wiggled her ass at him. “I'm all yours. Come and get it.”

Zuko pulled the crown from his hair and let it tumble down his shoulders. He tossed the crown aside and stepped close to her. His hands smoothed down her back and cupped her ass again. He spread her cheeks apart and then let them bounce back. Then he smacked her with a stinging slap that sent shivers down her arching spine.

“You like that ass?”

“It's a good ass. My favorite ass.”

“You're my favorite ass too,” she said and he smacked her again, knocking a laugh out of her.

“Oh, you are going to get it...”

She bit down on her lower lip, her whole body flushing with anticipation. She felt Zuko's cock against her and then caught her breath as he pushed it against her pussy. The tip of him grazed her throbbing clit, and she whimpered a little. Zuko put one hand on her lower back and then guided himself inside of her.

She nearly sighed in relief, pushing herself back into him and taking his length with a wet glide. Zuko gently rocked against her, pushing her into the bed with a steady motion as he glided in and out of her.

“Yes...”

Zuko was all business, his hips rolling as he fucked her. He seemed in no hurry, and neither was she. She was content to just feel him inside of her, her face pressed into the bed as pleasure gathered and expanded deep within her.

He pulled out of her suddenly, and then thrust back in, a little harder than before, the motion shoving her against the bed. She gripped the covers, twisting them up in her fists as her mouth opened in a pant. Zuko's hands clasped her hips with every thrust, the sound of skin on skin filling the air.

“Don't stop...”

But he pulled out of her the next moment, leaving her quivering in place. She flipped her hair out of her eyes and turned back to look at him. Zuko licked his lips, sweat glistening on his skin.

“Get up on the bed.”

She needed no further prompting, and climbed up on the bed. He followed her, pushing her down onto her back. He spread her legs open and then lowered himself between them. When his lips closed over her clit, she was so sensitive she nearly came on the spot. She arched up off of the bed, her head digging into the mattress, her hands gripping his hair.

His tongue moved slowly against her in unhurried strokes, taking her to the edge again. She teetered on it, her body tensing, waiting for release.

Zuko lifted his mouth and she let out a disappointed huff.

“I was so close...”

“I know,” he said with a grin and crawled his way back up her body, pushing her legs open with his knees. “I want to be inside you when you come.”

Shudders broke out over her skin and she lifted up, slamming a desperate kiss to his lips. Zuko lowered himself down between her thighs, and she felt his cock press against her wet, swollen flesh. Then he was inside of her again, his weight pressing her down into the bed, his hips bouncing against hers with a roll of his spine. He fucked her hard and deep and all she could do was cling to him, kissing him as he made good on his promise.

Her body clenched around his, and she came with a hard spasm that tore a strangled shout from her lips. He kissed the sound away, fucking her into the bed so hard she came again. Sweat popped out over her red skin, shivers coursing through her as she gripped him to her tightly.

His thrusts became erratic, spurred on by the grip of her climaxing body. He turned his head to the side, panting as he thrust into her one last time and then stilled as a hard, stuttering groan left him. He spilled inside of her with another deep down pulsing sensation that left her smiling in satisfaction, her tongue against her teeth as she greedily took all of him.

She caressed his shoulders as he shivered against her, his hips pumping into her a little in aftershocks. He lifted up and slammed a kiss to her mouth that was both satisfied and claiming. He pulled back a moment later, let out a shaking breath and then pulled out of her.

Zuko flopped onto his back, a big, stupid grin on his blotchy face. “That was amazing.”

“Mmm-hmm,” Suki intoned, pushing her sweaty hair out of her eyes. She felt boneless all of a sudden, her legs shaky. It took all of her strength to flip around on the bed and prop her legs up on the massive wooden headboard, toes pointed to the sky, her pelvis tipped back.

She looked over to find Zuko watching her with one brow raised.

“The healer said this might help,” she explained as Zuko sat up on his elbow. “You know, letting gravity do its thing.”

He nodded in understanding and reached out, taking her hand. “You think it'll work this time?”

Suki smiled a little and then shrugged. “I hope so... But what if it doesn't?”

Zuko shook his head. “We just started trying a couple of months ago. Just because you haven't gotten pregnant yet doesn't mean you won't. I'm not worried. It'll happen for us.”

He leaned forward and kissed her forehead, but she caught his head and brought him in for a lingering, upside down kiss. When they pulled apart, Zuko was smiling.

“Can I do anything to help?”

“Well, I'm not supposed to move for at least a half an hour, but I could use a drink,” she said. He nodded gravely.

“Anything for you,” he said and moved to get out of the bed. He stopped though, rolling back over and putting one hand on her stomach. He leaned in close to her midsection and said in a low voice, “Hey, if you're in there, do me and your future mom a favor and...get made.”

“Get made?” Suki snorted as Zuko lifted his head.

“I don't know how to give pep talks to sperm, okay?” he said, throwing up his hands as she collapsed into giggles that shook her shoulders. “Don't laugh at me!”

“I can't help it, you're such an idiot,” Suki teased him warmly as he hovered over her, his dark hair falling over one shoulder.

“You married me,” he pointed out.

“We're both idiots then,” she laughed.

“No argument there,” he said and landed a warm kiss on her lips. “You want some tea?”

“Yes, please,” she said sweetly as he nodded and then scooted off of the bed. She watched him pull on his pants, and then sweep toward the door with a purposeful stride. “Two sugars!”

“Yes, boss lady,” he called back at her with a wave of his hand.

Suki grinned at his retreating back, and then turned her head to stare up at the red draped canopy of their bed. She put her feet flat on the headboard, her thighs tensing as she tipped her pelvis up off of the bed a little more.

She put her hand on her stomach, still flat and muscular, despite everything. She'd been devastated when she'd gotten her period last week, hoping desperately that their hard work had finally paid off. Not that that hard work hadn't been fun, but despite Zuko's reassurance, and the servants betting pool, she was starting to worry about their chances of conceiving. She was _so_ ready to be a mother. She could feel it in her bones, and it was an ache that was only getting worse, not better. She knew Zuko was anxious to be a father too, and she wanted to give him that. More than anything, she wanted to create a family with the man she loved.

Maybe they just needed time, but she was getting impatient.

She chewed on her lip, her hand flattening on her belly, and said softly, “If you're in there, kid, just know that your mom and dad love you very much. We're idiots, but we're gonna be good parents. I promise. Please...just...catch hold in there. _Please_.”

Suki closed her eyes, hand on her stomach, and hope in her heart. Whatever happened—if it happened—she was ready.

 


	2. Announcement

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For Jordan, who wanted to know if Zuko's sperm pep talk did any good. :)

“Sukes? Honey? I didn’t forget about dinner, I swear,” Zuko called as he swept into their suite forty-five minutes late, carrying an armful of scrolls and looking harried. “Where are you?”

“Um… I’m in the bedroom. I’ll be out in a minute,” Suki called from the other room.

“'Kay! Sorry I’m late though! The Council meeting ran long. I tried to hurry up, but we were voting on that stupid tax increase Councilman Nux proposed. We voted three times, and it’s still an even split.”

He crossed the room and put the scrolls down onto the desk, and they tumbled everywhere almost immediately, rolling this way and that, over the sides and under the desk as Zuko let out a frustrated noise.

“So we’re probably going to shelve it for now, at least until we get more information on just what it entails. Well, you know my opinion on it. I don’t think the lower income citizens can take another tax hike, and Nux seems to think the upper class needs tax cuts…and frankly I think that he’s a loudmouthed idiot. If he manages to sway any of the other Councilors to vote his way I may end up using my Executive Veto, but I hate doing that. It feels like I’m being a dictator or something, you know?” Zuko said as he started picking up his scrolls.

He crawled under the desk, his hand searching beneath it. He was sure he’d seen a scroll roll under there. He heard Suki’s footsteps as she walked out of the bedroom behind him.

“Zuko.”

“So what are we having for dinner? I’m famished. We had tea and some cookies at the meeting, but I was too busy not wringing Nux’s neck to eat much of it. You in the mood for noodles? Or maybe we can get the chef to make us that fish thing we liked? What do you think?”

“ _Zuko_.”

“Maybe some stir-fry?”

“ _Zukothere'ssomethingIhavetotellyou!_ ” Suki said in a rush, just as he spotted the lost scroll in the corner beneath the desk.

“What’s that? Did you already have dinner? I wasn’t _that_ late,” he grunted, stretching out his hand and grasping the scroll.

“No, Zuko. I’m…Zuko, I’m pregnant.”

_CRACK!_

He dropped the scroll and clutched at his head, which he’d banged into the desk so hard it knocked stars into his vision. He felt a goose-egg rising and mouthed a few choice curse words.

“Are you okay?”Suki exclaimed as he crawled out from under the desk, clutching his head. He looked up at her from his knees, squinting through the pain.

“Am I concussed or did you just say you’re _pregnant?_ ”

Suki’s face was aglow, her smile tremulous as she met his gaze. He could see the truth in her eyes, and it was like something exploded in his chest. It may have been his heart.

“I’m pregnant.”

He practically leaped to his feet, despite the throb in his skull, and pulled her into his arms, hugging her with a laughing exhale. She squealed as he lifted her up off of her feet and swung her around. When he put her back down, he cupped her face and stared into her eyes.

“Sukes, are you sure?”

Suki nodded, her eyes shining now. “I missed my period two weeks ago, but I didn’t want to say anything in case it was just late, so I waited until I was sure it wasn’t coming. I’ve also been feeling a little nauseated the past week. So I went to the doctor today. She confirmed it. I’m due in the spring.”

Zuko’s face split into a wide grin, which she returned. “We’re going to have a baby!?”

“I know!” There was an edge of nervous glee in her voice as she clutched him.

“Wow…” He felt dazed, and not just because of the bang to the head. “I’m going to be a father…”

“Are you okay?”she asked.

“Are _you?_ ” He glanced down at her still flat stomach.

“I’m fine! I’m so happy right now. I’m scared and I’m happy and I’m… I’m pregnant!” Suki said with a laugh, and a tear rolled down her cheek.

He wiped her tears away, grinning at her. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too.”

He kissed her, feeling happiness burst in him, expanding like the universe, filling every corner of his body. He held Suki tightly, feeling her trembling against him, in happiness and excitement, nerves and anticipation.

This was everything he’d ever wanted. He couldn’t remember being this happy in his life.

When he pulled back, still cupping her face, still grinning, he could feel the connection between them, the invisible bonds of their love, wrapping tightly around them, embracing them. His heart ached.

“When should we announce it?” he asked eagerly.

“Not for another month or so,” she said. “…Just to make sure.”

Zuko nodded. “I want to keep it between us for a while anyway. I don’t want to share the two of you with anyone else.”

Suki’s grin was wide. “I'm— _we’re_ all yours.”

“Also, I heard that Nux bet you’d be announcing you’re pregnant within the next five days, and I really want him to lose that betting pool.”

Suki laughed, her arms sliding around his shoulders. “You’re such a dork.”

“I’m so happy, Suki. I have everything I’ve ever wanted. I can’t imagine life being more perfect than it is right now. It’s gonna be just you and me and the baby.”

“It’s twins.”

His mouth fell open, eyes widening with shock. A weird sound came out of his throat before he could stop it. It sounded like creaky door hinges.

Suki put a finger under his chin, closing his mouth with a snap. Then she leaned forward, kissing the tip of his nose. “ _Kidding!_ ”

“THAT’S JUST MEAN!” he burst out as Suki laughed, extricating herself from his arms.

“You should have seen your face. I thought you were going to pass out,” she said, walking toward the bedroom. He followed her, grinning as her laughter teased him.

“You’re so going to pay for that!” he said, catching up with her and pulling her into his arms. She laughed and put her arms around him, while he did the same.

He kissed her long and hard and vowed never to let go. It was the easiest promise he ever kept.

_(end)_


End file.
